Sorry 4 The Wait: Preseason Game 3

Hey everyone! Man, feels like ages since I've written anything. For that, I apologize to my two followers. You've surely been agonizing over my absence. I didn't get to write Saturday before last about our second preseason game, mainly because it was freshman move-in day at my college, so naturally I was out at the bars by 10 A.M. where it was certain that no freshmen would be. I also finally got a new job out at a golf course and worked Saturday, Sunday and Monday so I've been slacking a bit on my blogging responsibilities. Again, sincerest of apologies. HOWEVAH, I only had to work 'til 6 on Saturday so I totally got to see the whole game. I must say, I am more than slightly pleased by the progress the team has been making. Let's break it down a bit further....


Things I Liked:


Quarterback Play. -  Saturday's game was the closest we are going to get a regular season game. Joe Webb, while still struggling as a pocket passer, managed a 23 yard pass and a 44 yarder on the same drive (with help of a phenomenal catch by Manny Arceneux). He then capped off the drive with a 10 yard scramble. He also hit a big 36 yard scramble which looked a lot like a counter play if it were run out of the Wildcat formation. This man is dangerous as a runner and we need to find a place for him in our offense. CP7 didn't get many reps, but he got the ball with 62 seconds left in the game and no timeouts on the 19 yard line and got us about 60 yards down the field before time ran out on us. Gives me some optimism, though I still want to see more out of him in throws from the pocket. On our second pass play of the game, Donovan McNabb almost underthrew bombed a perfect pass to Bernard Berrian over the safety's outstretched arms to for a 49 yard TD.  I thought the interception he threw was poor judgement, and he also underthrew what looked like another potential Berrian touchdown. Overall, he finished 12/18 for 164 yards, 1TD and 1 INT. I think McNabb is really going to surprise a lot of people this season. He looks comfortable in our offense and is really getting all of our receivers involved, especially...

Bernard Berrian. - This part-time magician took a break from his 2-year long disappearing act to do a little route-running and ball-catching on Saturday, and I was glad to see him back. He still has the speed to get behind the defense as he showed on the 49-yard TD he caught on our first drive, and also had the corner beat on another long pass that was underthrown by Donny Mac. Our receiver play may have been helped by the fact that our starters were going up against the Cowboys' #3 and #4 CB's, but it's clear that Donovan McNabb has been trying to get BB back into the flow of our offense. He still is our best vertical threat in my opinion, as Percy is best in the slot. He could be the best slot receiver in the NFL very, very soon I think. No one has his speed and open field running ability. Speaking of running ability...

Adrian Peterson. - Yep, he's still the best RB in the game. We haven't gotten to see much of Purple Jesus so far this preseason, so 14 carries for 81 yards was a welcome sight for most Vikings fans. I'm not sure if any of us were worried about him losing a step, but just in case anyone was ... I think that debate is put to rest. What a beast. 'Nuff said. He did get a little help from ...

The O-Line. - These guys were opening up some big holes for AD to run through on Saturday, and that was real fun to watch. I was enjoying our 3 TE sets as well. That will be a nightmare for defenses to go up against. If anyone remembers the Packers back when Ahman Green was tearing up the turf, you might remember their formation with 2 TE and an extra OT that was a pitch play every time. And every time it gained like 10 yards. Well, with K-Sauce being basically a glorified OT with ball skills, I think we can have similar success. Herrera was back in the lineup and mugging people all over ( I LOVED seeing him pancake a guy about 2 seconds past the whistle), and Hutch had one beautiful pull to the outside that almost sprung AD if it weren't for an ankle tackle. Overall, great improvement since game 1.

Marcus Sherels. - What a story this guy is. He might be the biggest standout of the preseason for the Vikings, and if Asher Allen ends up on the streets he will have this man to thank for it. He had a great breakup on a slant in the second quarter, which isn't a sight most Vikings fans are used to. He is quick, aggressive, and clearly a hard worker. Very happy to see the former Gopher getting extended playing time.

Things I Didn't Like:


Special Teams. - Right as our first FG attempt was happening, I was just saying to the person next to me  how well our kicking game had been doing so far. Then Gerald Sensabaugh leapfrogged our line, helped block the kick, and some 50+ yards later Alan Ball was jogging into the end zone. We also missed a 52-yarder. Hopefully these were both aberrations and not something we see normally. The Sensabaugh play I will chalk up to perfect timing, so sucks for him that he made that play during the preseason, because it was nice. Cord Parks' return towards the end of the 1st half was a great one, good to see some young unknowns making noise when they get the opportunity.

Pass Coverage. - Tony Romo completed 75% of his passes in this game. That percentage is too high for a team that expects to win the game, unless we plan on the other 25% to be interceptions. Ced Griffin was getting abused by Dez Bryant for the majority of the post-interception drive, but his tackling was sure. Which is a silver lining, I guess. Keep in mind that Miles Austin didn't play in this game. Asher Allen didn't play, and that man is going to need to make an impression in game 4 if he plans on making this team. Chris Cook had a hamstring and 'Toine had that stinger that scared the bajeezus out of most of us, but he seemed to be alright. Our second team DB's weren't doing much either.

Dez Bryant. -  I just don't like him in this game because this man is a BEAST! I'll be the first to say that Dez is probably a certifiable tard, but man he looked dominant out there. I do not look forward to playing the Cowboys as long as Dez Bryant is on the field. He looks like a young T.O. out there. Put Miles Austin across from him with Jason Witten working the intermediate routes and the middle, that's a solid receiving core.



All in all, I was happy to drink the Vikings' Kool-Aid on Saturday. The team looks like it is coming together, especially on offense. Hopefully we can see our offensive line playing the way it did consistently. If we eliminate mistakes like getting field goals blocked, dropping passes on critical downs (Sorry, Percy) and giving up long third downs, we will be a team to worry about this season.
Glad to be back, thanks for reading! Sorry 4 The Wait!!